Estimated 500 Oklahomans rally for Trump at State Capitol

OKLAHOMA CITY – Chants of “USA, USA, USA” rang out on the south side of the State Capitol Saturday afternoon as an estimated 500 people rallied behind President Donald Trump and his policies.

The rally and dozens of others were held in about 30 states across the nation with the notion of showing solidarity for the president.

At one point, a small group of protesters engaged in a verbal battle with Trump supporters but the confrontation was short lived as a large contingent of Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers stood nearby to thwart any physical altercations.

One of the protesters, Serenity Jackson, said she was at the Capitol to “counter-protest like they do our events.”

Several Trump supporters challenged Jackson for attending the event and for her views on the issues.

“I will debate you right back,” she said. “I want to show them their contradictions and their ideologies don’t make sense.”

Jackson, a makeup artist by profession, was one of the organizers of the Rally Against Hate in November. She labels herself a community activist who works with the NAACP, Black Lives Matter and the Oklahoma City LGBTQ group.

“I think I was a lone voice today, but there is a bigger group here,” she said with a smile.

Her interview with Red Dirt Report was sandwiched between shouting matches and arguments with Trump supporters over abortion and immigration.

Meanwhile, Trump supporters included state senators Ervin Yen and Kyle Loveless. Yen was an early speaker who talked about his immigration to the United States and the lengthy process he was forced to endure.

“I wanted to show my support for our president and hear all the talk about immigration and healthcare, which are things I know a little about,” he said.

Yen, who was educated in the U.S. and later became an anesthesiologist, said he hopes the Trump rallies unite all Americans.

“He’s the president for all Americans,” the senator said. “I don’t think he’s going to do some of the things that were outrageously stated in the campaign.”

Loveless was accompanied by his two daughters but was not one of the guest speakers.

“I’m here to show my support even though he [Trump] wasn’t my first pick. He’s still my president,” the senator said.

Tulsa resident Bryan Pollard drove to the rally so he could “hear something positive about our country.”

“I liked hearing them invoke the name of God, which is refreshing,” he said. “It’s been peaceful and I haven’t seen any curse words on signs or any Swastikas.”

Pollard also said he gained some insight from Yen’s story on his personal immigration journey and was pleased to see the high level of patriotism displayed, especially by several bikers holding large American flags.

“We’ve heard enough from the other side. It’s time another part of the nation stand up,” he said.

Biker Jerry “Big Worm” Adamson said he’s happy to show his support for President Trump. He helped organize Trump campaign rallies in downtown Oklahoma City.

“One of the reasons I came was to watch the opposition, the freak show,” he said.

Oklahoma City resident Jeff Shankle wanted to see how many people would attend and to support Trump’s stand on various issues, including immigration.

“I loved all of the comments with a few exceptions and it wasn’t from the speakers,” he said, a reference to Jackson and the other protesters.

One speaker commented, “The media doesn’t like him [Trump], Democrats don’t like him but none of that matters because we do like him.”

Another speaker, Lisa Christiansen, urged people to pray for Trump and the decisions he will have to make.

A similar rally is scheduled March 25 at the state Capitol, an organizer said.

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Red Dirt Reportwas launched July 4, 2007 as an independent news website covering all manner of news, culture, entertainment and lifestyle stories that affect and interest Oklahoma readers and readers outside of our state. Our mission is to educate, promote civic engagement and discourse on public policy, government and politics. Our experienced journalists provided balanced in-depth coverage of news stories that affect Oklahomans. Our opinion/editorial stories come from a wide range of political view points. We carry out our mission by reporting, writing, and posting news and information. read more